New York Farm Day set for Sept. 21 in Washington, D.C.

This news comes to us from Jim Trezise of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation:

New York Farm Day in Washington, D.C. will again happen this fall, scheduled for Sept. 21 and hosted by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the first New York senator to serve on the Agriculture Committee in 40 years.

We’ve been organizing “Farm Day” since 2002 (originally with former Sen. Hillary Clinton, now Secretary of State), when it quickly became the most popular reception on Capitol Hill. Why? Because in addition to great wines and foods, it features the people responsible for producing them.

“Farm Day” isn’t just another of the hundreds of events catered by anonymous Washington area companies using ingredients from who knows where. It’s New Yorkers bringing their wines and foods straight from the vineyards and fields — and oceans — right into the Senate Russell Office Building to give policy makers a taste of one of the nation’s major agricultural states.

From Long Island oysters to Upstate apples and North Country wine ice cream, products and producers from around the state converge on the Capitol to give senators and representatives a “Taste of New York.”

The ultimate goal: Remember that New York is a farm state when you’re creating farm policy.

The event is generally organized by wine region — Long Island, Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes, Niagara and Lake Erie, and North Country — with wine, food, and restaurant tables in each area.

The 2010 event will feature some new exhibitors from the greater New York City area as well. Brooklyn Grange is a 40,000 rooftop garden in Queens — the largest in the country — which sells produce to local restaurants and also produces honey now that beekeeping is legal in New York City.

Telepan is a restaurant which describes its menu as “Seasonal New American” based around chef/owner Bill Telepan’s focus on seasonal and local ingredients.

Not too far away to the north in Hudson is the Local Ocean Fish Farm, a unique and environmentally friendly source of saltwater fish year around.

New York Farm Day’s invitees include senators, members of Congress, chiefs of staff, agricultural policy specialists and others who can shape the laws which affect our industry. Watch for more details in the coming weeks — and a mouth-watering menu.